Teen Hardee’s Worker Rewarded For His “Touch of Heaven” to Elderly Lady

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Jul 22, 2015

What would you do if you saw an injured shark swimming a few feet away from you?

These two brothers decided to pull it to shore in order to save its life.

Marcus and Logan Lakos were relaxing on a beach in Destin, Florida, when they noticed the hammerhead shark nearby, tangled in fishing gear. Logan immediately swam out and dragged the shark to shore.

“Logan, he’s the brave one,” Marcus told WJHG News. “I’m sitting there, and out of nowhere, he’s dragging this thing onto shore.”

With Fins Off the Menu, A Glimmer of Hope for Sharks

Logan said people were “freaking out” when he first pulled the shark to shore, but joined in once they realized he was trying to help it.

It took two attempts — the shark got away once and they had to chase it along the beach. But the teens and their impromptu rescue team removed two fish hooks and a lure from the shark’s mouth before releasing it back into the Gulf of Mexico.

(WATCH the video below from WJHG News) — Photo: Marcus Lakos, WJHG video

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Federer Builds 50 New Preschools in Africa, Mobbed by Kids on First Visit (WATCH)

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Jul 22, 2015

Some of Roger Federer’s biggest—and youngest—fans are probably too tiny to know about his victories on the tennis court–and too touched by poverty to care much.

They just know he’s the man behind the creation of preschools across southern Africa where now are learning and growing healthy, with a hearty meal every day.

They were thrilled this year when the tennis great came to visit them for the first time, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of his Roger Federer Foundation.

The 34 year-old Swiss athlete has funded the building of schools for years, like this one in the video located in Malawi. He spent the day at the preschool visiting, sitting in classes, helping cook and serve lunch, and hanging out with the kids on their playground.

The early childhood centers are scattered throughout six countries, with more than 50 preschools in Malawi alone.

“I’m so happy and emotional that I can see a preschool of this quality here–it’s quite extraordinary,” said Federer during his visit. ”The community is so committed to helping the kids, its so important (as) the foundation for learning.”

To date, the Roger Federer Foundation has spent $13 million over the past decade, touching the lives of more than 285,000 children. With renewed focus and the involvement of local teachers and NGOs, it plans to be feeding and teaching one million kids by 2018.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo via Roger Federer

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Leather-Clad Bikers Rally To Search Roadsides for Widow’s Wedding Ring

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Jul 21, 2015

A simple request was enough to rally a group of Minnesota motorcycle riders to hit the highway searching for a keepsake of love.

Rhonda Thill lost her husband, Randy, in a motorcycle crash last month and sometime during the tragedy his wedding ring had also flown off.

After word spread that she was hoping to recover that symbol of her 18-year-marriage, more than a dozen bikers – some she didn’t even know – headed out to Highway 61 to find it.

It took less than an hour for one of the men – on their hands and knees in waist-high grass – to spot the gold ring glimmering in the dirt and deliver it to Rhonda.

“It just kind of feels like I’ve got a piece of us back together,” Rhonda told KARE-TV.

Rhonda says she’s grateful for the kindness of strangers who banded together to bring her husband’s ring home.

(WATCH video below from KARE) – Photo: KARE video

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40% Less Mercury in Fish Shows Success of US Coal Industry Caps

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CHECK Out More Positive Trends for Animals and Health in Good News Network

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Jul 21, 2015

A large drop in bluefish mercury levels suggest a healthier seafood supply – and that U.S. coal regulations are working.

Mercury levels in bluefish caught off the U.S. Atlantic coast have officially dropped 43% since 1972, according to a new study in Environmental Science & Technology.

Scientists say the drop is due to federal restrictions on coal emissions that have resulted in less mercury being transported by rainfall into the ocean.

Emissions from the top 100 U.S. electric power producers have decreased by 50 percent during 2000-2012, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council report.

The lower mercury levels are promising for bluefish and other predatory fish like tuna and swordfish, which have been considered a major source of mercury exposure in the U.S. and linked to health complications in pregnant women and their children.

(READ more at Environmental Health News) – Photo by NOAA

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Local Masons Rebuild Ancient Tombs Destroyed By Militants

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Jul 21, 2015

Local masons in Timbuktu, Mali have rebuilt eight ancient mausoleums, turning the tombs into monuments to tolerance and peace three years after an invading army destroyed them.

When militants first took over the city in 2012, they declared the Sofi Muslim mausoleums a form of idolatry and destroyed them. After only three months, the invaders were forced out of the city, and the United Nations set out to rebuild the historic tombs.

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) hired local masons to rebuild a total of 14 of the mud and brick mausoleums. Eight have already been completed.

Take THAT, Taliban: Couple Creates 3D Hologram of Ancient Buddha Statue

“Your work is a lesson in tolerance, dialogue and peace,” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova told the masons during a visit Saturday alongside the Malian government and local leaders.

The mausoleums have been part of Sofi pilgrimages for centuries, and the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Timbuktu was a major cultural and education center in the 15th and 16th centuries, and scholars were able to rescue 28,000 priceless manuscripts from the city’s “Golden Age” before militants took the city.

The European Union, along with France, Norway and Switzerland, each provided money or technical assistance to the rebuilding project.

(READ more at Yahoo! News) — Photo: emilio labrador, CC

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Going His Way? Robot is Hitchhiking Across the U.S. And Needs a Lift

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Jul 21, 2015

We’ve all been warned not to pick up hitchhiking strangers — and few of them are stranger than this dude.

But trust us, it’s perfectly safe to pick up hitchBOT, the hitchhiking robot from Canada–but you will have to actually pick it up.

Last year, this little guy hitchhiked 3,800 miles across Canada in 26 days relying on the kindness of strangers and his powers of speech recognition – which lets him actually carry on brief conversations. Its Cleverscript speech technology allows it to answer questions about where it comes from or its favorite pastimes.

This summer, he’s hitchhiking across America yellow thumb pointed up to help him move from Massachusetts to California.

HitchBOT is the brainchild of Ontario professors Frauke Zeller, from Ryerson University in Toronto, and David Harris Smith, from McMaster University in Hamilton.

The duo, curious to see the way people would interact with robots, simply placed hitchBOT beside the road and bid farewell. It hit the road in Massachusetts on July 16.

HitchBOT carries a bucket list of activities he’d like to accomplish, including doing the wave at a sports arena, visiting Millennium Park in Chicago, and hearing Jazz music in New Orleans. Strangers that meet him along the way are invited to share their hitchhiking stories and pictures using #hitchbot on Twitter and Instagram.

Besides being friendly with humans hitchBOT is also great with pets, and has gotten to interact with lots of dogs along the way.

Beyond the chips and processors, the robot sports swim noodles for arms and legs, bright yellow boots, and a big LED smile. You can keep up with hitchBOT’s adventures at his Storify page featuring daily updates.

There’s also an interactive map so you can track his travels – or to swing by and give him a ride.

Editor’s note: We’ve been referring to hitchBOT as a guy, but his voice sounds an awful lot like Siri—take a listen for yourself by WATCHING the video below.

Happy trails, @hitchBOT! http://t.co/IWkhvgm7Bf #hitchBOTinUSA #Canada148 https://t.co/qZ5NrIw7lT
— Maclean's Magazine (@MacleansMag) July 17, 2015

(READ more at Discovery News) – Photos: hitchBOT Storify page

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Train Commuters Sing Along to Somewhere Over the Rainbow (WATCH)

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Jul 21, 2015

Remember in October when we showed you a viral video of a dance party launched on a commuter train in Perth, Australia?

The same group who danced their way into the hearts of 40 million YouTube viewers has just followed up with shenanigans on another commuter train–this time a singalong.

On a wintery run of the 7:51 express train, they led passengers in a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in a bold attempt to chase away the Monday morning blues with a ukulele player keeping time.

Peter Sharp, the founder of the participatory arts group called it, “Easily one of the most uplifting experiences we’ve ever helped create.”

Hilarious Couple Sing Karaoke at the Gas Pump on Hidden Tonight Show Camera (WATCH)

The Liberators, as they call themselves–named for the sense of freedom they want people to feel when expressing themselves in public–have coordinated five different experiences on trains from story telling, to dancing, and singing.

“This is my full time job,” Sharp told the Good News Network. “I am able to get paid doing DJ gigs that combine these acts of freedom at music festivals & family festivals and working with businesses to create interesting and ethically driven video content.”

They recruited some of their own people to ride the train and help get the singalong started, but reported that around 60 percent of those on board were actual commuters.

Read more about their mission, and a crowd-funding campaign to bring their antics to trains in Europe on their blog.

(WATCH the heart-warming moments below)

Israeli Prime Minister Calls Palestinian President, Breaks Silence to Talk Peace

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Jul 21, 2015

After a year of silence, the Israeli prime minister phoned the Palestinian president to offer a holiday greeting—and a message of hope.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Friday night as a goodwill gesture on Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that celebrates the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.

Bereaved Palestinian, Israeli Parents Unveil Something Beautiful at U.N.

Netanyahu told his Palestinian counterpart that Israelis want peace and will work toward regional stability. Abbas said he hoped the two could settle on a peace accord in the next 12 months.

The phone call came 13 months after the two last spoke in June, 2014.

(READ more at the New York Times) — Photos: U.S. State Department

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15 Big Companies Launch Plan to Hire 100K Youth from Poor Neighborhoods

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Jul 21, 2015

Young people in poor neighborhoods are looking at 100,000 new job opportunities and a chance to undergo the right training to help them land one.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has recruited fifteen large American companies to help create the “100,000 Opportunities Initiative”, offering job training, internships, and apprenticeship programs to help prepare 16-24 year-old youth for “middle skill jobs” that don’t require a college degree. Currently, there are about 3.5 million of those jobs available in the U.S.

Sacrificing to Help Brother Go To School, Selfless Sister Is Rewarded With Tuition

“It’s very personal for me, having grown up in public housing and understanding what it was like to be that poor kid,” Schultz told the Wall Street Journal. He and his wife are also giving $30 million from their family foundation to create local job training programs and mentoring projects within the initiative.

Other companies include Alaska Airlines, which is giving grants to improve technical training for high school students, CVS, which is pushing an apprenticeship program for pharmacy technicians in 40 cities, and Microsoft, which is placing 130 tech industry experts into high schools to help with training programs.

CEO Who Set Minimum Wage at $70K is Swamped With Business Now

“In America, your ZIP code should never determine your destiny,” U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said about the initiative. “Breaking down barriers to employment for young people doesn’t just help the individual workers – it benefits entire communities and the economy at large.”

The initiative kicks off a series of job fairs in August starting in Chicago, Illinois, with more planned in other cities in coming months.

(WATCH the Wall Street Journal video below and READ more at CBS News) Photo by GotCredit, CC — Story Tip from carilyn

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79-Year-old is on ‘Cloud Nine’ After Strangers Donate to Replace Stolen Tricycle

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Jul 20, 2015

Dolly Juelke absolutely loved her adult tricycle.

The 79-year-old counted on it to get her wherever she needed to go—that is, until it was stolen from behind her home in Fargo, North Dakota last week.

She put the following ad in the paper in hopes of getting back her only ride:

“I would like to make a request to whomever stole my three-wheeler bicycle: I really would like to have it back as I am an elderly woman who really enjoyed my bike as I never learned to drive,” the letter reads. “Thank you very much.”

Elderly Man Gets Decades of Extra Credit, Returning Lots of Class Rings

Upon seeing her letter, Cassandra Maland – a stranger – set up a GoFundMe page. Within hours, the site raised more than $700 towards the replacement of Juelke’s bike.

“I’m dumbfounded, believe me. I just couldn’t believe it. It was really nice of everybody,” Juelke told WDAY-TV.

The new tricycle cost about $400. Maland says she plans on donating the rest of the money to a community bike shop — once she buys a lock to go with the bike.

(WATCH the video at WDAY or READ more at Inforum) – Photo: WDAY video

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30,000 US Teens Converge on Detroit in Massive Christian Volunteer Clean-up

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Jul 20, 2015

Thousands of teenagers from around the U.S. converged in Detroit, Michigan, last week to clean up the city’s neighborhoods.

A whopping 30,000 young folks spent the week cutting brush, hauling away trash, and painting walls.

The project was part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Youth Gathering, which pulls in the massive crowd of kids in different cities every three years for service projects to help the needy.

“Here’s my crew today…..these people worked sooo hard,” Jonathan Pommerville, one of their adult leaders posted to on Facebook (pictured left).

Pommerville’s group spent time cleaning out and boarding up one of the city’s 70,000 abandoned buildings. They left the old house with a freshly mowed lawn, too.

The last ELCA Lutheran teen gathering in 2012 was in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they performed similar community service projects.

While Injured, Baseball Star Works For Kids Who Stutter Like He Once Did

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Jul 20, 2015

Houston Astros’ outfielder George Springer knows what it’s like to shy away from conversations.

The 25-year-old athlete grew up with a stutter so severe that he rarely talked to people other than close friends and family. While his stutter has improved over the years, he knows how isolating and frustrating it can be, especially for children.

That’s why, while he is on the disabled list with a broken wrist, Springer is helping kids cope with the speech disorder by hosting events and raising money for Camp SAY, and the Stuttering Association for the Young.

Helping Stutterers Find Their Voice – In the Arts (Video)

“I think it’s important for kids to see anybody not letting anything stop them from being who they want to be and being the person they want to be,” Springer told KTRK-TV.

Camp SAY, a two-week camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina, offers a traditional camping experience with activities to help kids ages 8-18 empower themselves and gain confidence by building effective communication skills.

As for Springer, he says after years of struggling with stuttering, his teammates now tease that they can’t get him to stop talking.

(READ the AP story at KTRK) – Photo: Apardavila – CC

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Preemie Parents Want Gifts for Hospital Staff on Son’s First Birthday

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Jul 20, 2015

For these parents, their son’s first year of life was the best gift in the world.

That’s why the couple is celebrating little Archie McDonnell’s birthday by giving back to the people who helped him survive his first critical months after he was born 10 weeks premature in a New Zealand hospital.

10-yo Cancer Survivor Pays Forward Birthday Gifts to Kids Still in Hospital

In lieu of birthday presents, Anne and Deane McDonnell, asked for money to treat the staff at Auckland Hospital.

“We are wanting to give something back to the nurses and doctors, not the unit itself, but to the staff. We would like to be able to give them some money to allow them to do something nice for themselves,” his mother said on their Givealittle fundraising page.

So far, the family has raised more than $3,000 for the hospital staff—she hopes they will use it for food, treats, or anything else that will make them smile.

(READ more at NZ Herald)

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Teacher Wins Lottery, Buys Shoes For 200 of Her Students

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Jul 20, 2015

The winters in Ballarat, Australia are brutal—but thanks to a winning teacher’s generosity, 2,000 toes will remain nice and toasty in brand new pairs of leather shoes.

Bri Dredge, who won $20,000 on the game show Millionaire Hot Seat, used her winnings to buy her students at Yuille Park Community College in Ballarat new leather shoes, reported the New Zealand Herald.

America’s First Delivery By Drone Drops Medical Supplies On Rural Health Clinic

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Jul 20, 2015

A rural health clinic in Virginia’s mountains has beaten Amazon to the punch with the first government approved delivery by drone in the U.S.

After a piloted plane delivered the drugs to the Lonesome Pine Airport in southwestern Virginia, the drone — built by Australian drone-maker Flirtey — made three trips, ferrying ten pounds of medical supplies to the temporary clinic set up at a nearby fairgrounds. Operators used an onboard camera to watch as they lowered each delivery to a drop-off point.

Driving the drugs from a warehouse to the clinic would have taken 90 minutes. The plane and drone combination cut that time by more than half.

Drones Drop Beneficial Bugs on Crops as a Natural Pest Control

The company tweeted “Close-up of Flirtey delivering in Virginia today!” along with a picture of the drone shortly after it took off.

“Proving that unmanned aircraft can deliver lifesaving medicines is an important step toward a future where unmanned aircraft make routine autonomous deliveries of your everyday purchases,” Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeny said.

The FAA approved the flight and worked with NASA to monitor the operation. It served as a demonstration for potentially delivering supplies on a short deadline as well as a model for how eventual commercial deliveries could be carried out.

(WATCH the video of the flight and READ more at the Guardian) — Photo: Flirty, Twitter

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These Five Kids Will Restore Your Faith in the Future, If Nothing Else Can

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Jul 20, 2015

2015 has been an amazing year for kids who have taught us a lot about generosity, kindness, and selflessness. These five young people have definitely shown us how it’s done…take a look:

1. Boy Makes Viral Video to Aid Buddy Who Lost Toys in a Fire

Kollin Cox and Ryan Branson are best friends. When one of them lost everything in a fire, the other one asked his mother to help him make a video and post it on Facebook.

Afterward, St. Louis television stations ran news stories about the friendship that helped raise $11,000 to replace toys, beds and clothes for the young boy and his mother Sonya–proof that a destructive blaze is no match for a pair of elementary school BFFs. . . (WATCH)

2. She Builds Mobile Shelters Because ‘Nobody Should Sleep Outside’

Hailey Fort of Bremerton, Washington, first befriended a homeless man named Edward when he lost his job at their local supermarket. Hailey, who happens to be handy with an electric drill, decided to get to work building him a “mobile sleeping shelter,” and she knows what she’s doing.

“If there was no insulation, he would get cold. If there was no tar paper, he would get a draft,” she told King 5 news. With a little help from her grandfather, who is a contractor by trade, she successfully built Edward a 8×4 wooden shelter. . . (WATCH)

3. Boy Uses Birthday Money to Save Racehorse On Death Row

Most kids spend their birthday money on toys and games, but 9-year-old Brandon Heyman of Ontario, Canada decided to use it to save a life.

Karazan, an aging racehorse, had just been purchased by a meat buyer when his mother came across the 17-year-old chestnut mare on the website Need You Now Equine.

“My son asked what was I doing, and when I explained it to him, he said, ‘Mummy, my birthday’s coming up. Just give my birthday money to them. I don’t want the horse to die.’”. . . (READ)

4. Eighth Grader Raises Thousands to Buy Wheelchair for Younger Classmate

When a neighbor’s expensive wheelchair was stolen, Ryan Czech wanted to help — but how much of a difference can an eighth-grader make? It turns out, he was able to buy her a new chair within a single day.

His 10-year-old neighbor, Jerylyn, has Cerebral Palsy and needs a stroller-style wheelchair to get around. They’re expensive — more than $2,300.

Ryan’s mother helped him set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money–and in just 24 hours, he had the money he needed. . . (WATCH)

5. This Kid Uses His Allowance to Design, Sew Clothes for Homeless

Xavier Elliott is a formerly homeless young man who has taken to his mother’s sewing machine to design special pieces for those who are still struggling.

The ten-year-0ld, who previously spent some time in a homeless shelter with his family, started out by using his own allowance to foot the cost, and has since received a number of monetary and material donations—along with several offers of new sewing machines—after his story was broadcast by local Phoenix television stations.

In addition to clothing, Xavier wants to make tote bags so homeless kids have a place to put their clothing. . . (WATCH)

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Muslim Fundraiser for Burned Black Churches Raises $100,000

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